Dashlane and Google work on project ‘OpenYOLO’

Password manager Dashlane announced last Thursday to have teamed up with tech giant Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) to develop OpenYOLO, an open-source API.

The project will allow Android apps to access automatically login data saved in password managers for devices, so users no longer need to type their passwords every time they want to enter a determined app.

The project will initially target the Android mobile operating system, but Dashlane explained it hoped the initiative broke the platform barrier. A spokesperson for the company added they wanted a global implementation on the primary OS ruling the market.

Dashlane says stolen passwords are the main issue on the net

Short for “You Only Login Once,” Dashlane’s plan vows to “enhance and simplify” password entry when login. The company is working in collaboration with Google and other password managers. The project started with a $50 million funding.

Strong passwords are the first step in protecting users from cyber-attacks, but Dashlane stated on a post in its official blog that data breaches and hacked passwords are still a big problem. Cyber criminals will get onto this information and sell it on black markets on the deep web.

Moreover, Google realized a new trend was on the rise. Users are now looking for ways to protect their digital keys, and they are recurring to password managers such as 1Password and LastPass for security.

That is why the tech giant joined Dashlane. The directors want to create the OpenYOLO API for it to become an authentification standard that looks and enters user login data directly from password managers.

Password managers like LastPass and 1Password could join the initiative

Dashlane’s development team further explained its choice on the type of project. They claim that open-source APIs allow users to protect themselves with a more simple approach, and it also suits every platform.

A Dashlane spokesperson further revealed 1Password, LastPass, Keeper, and Keepass to be current or possible cooperations in the anti-cybercrime OpenYOLO. 1Password had to recently introduced paid subscription and other upgrades to tackle hacked passwords and data breaches, so collaborating on the project would benefit them.

But OpenYOLO isn’t the first collaboration of Dashlane nor Google’s first project of this kind. Back in February, Dashlane became the first password manager to support FIDO Alliance’s Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) authentication standard, while Google kickstarted Project Abacus, which expects to replace passwords with biometrics by the end of the year.

The tech company also launched Smart Lock, its password manager service, in 2015. Smart Lock’s developing team will join the OpenYOLO initiative, and the engineers behind Project Abacus have also expressed interest in the open software solution. So it seems like a new cybersecurity powerhouse is in the making.